PM Modi makes the nation proud

Prime minister Narendra Modi probably stated the obvious when he said Indian Muslims will live and die for India. And his description of Al Qaeda's plans to rope in Indian Muslims as delusional is not too far off the mark.

Though Al Qaeda announced its plans to create a wing in India and South Asia only this month, it has had India, more specifically J&K and Assam, in its crosshairs since 1996. But the terror network once headed by Osama bin Laden has had a remarkable lack of success in attracting Indian Muslims to its ranks. It's no secret Indian Muslims have joined groups like the Indian Mujahideen and Islamic State to participate in jihad. But their numbers pale in significance when compared to the majority of India's 175 million Muslims, about 15 per cent of the country's population, who have largely remained peaceful.

Modi will have to ensure what he said in his interview to CNN percolates down to all levels of the BJP

Experts have advanced various theories for this trend, ranging from the more benevolent Sufi brand of Islam to a widespread disdain for extremism. But the fact remains that a majority of Indian Muslims simply want a better life, a share in the "achche din" promised by Modi for all Indians.

But it is also a fact that some Muslim youths have been radicalised, either by the 2002 violence in Gujarat or recent efforts by global jihadis to attract recruits through the internet. This is a trend that the government will have to keep a close eye on and nip in the bud without in any way alienating the majority of Muslims. Therefore, the need of the hour will be intelligence-driven operations and not ham-handed drives that are resorted to by some sections of the security apparatus. At the same time, Modi will have to ensure what he said in his interview to CNN percolates down to all levels of the BJP, of which he is the paramount leader. The PM's words will lose much of their sheen if leaders of his own party continue to target the country's largest minority over issues such as "love jihad".